Former Apple Chief Designer Jony Ive recently shared his perspectives on design as an act of care and responsibility during an interview at Stripe Sessions 2025. From his early days in Cupertino to his current projects at LoveFrom, Ive delved into the ethical role of design in an increasingly technological world.
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Prioritizing Human Values
During his conversation with Patrick Collison, co-founder of Stripe, Jony Ive emphasized that design should never be driven solely by the pursuit of novelty or disruption. Instead, he advocates for a meticulous and clear approach, reflective of his own values.
What we create reflects who we are
, he stated, highlighting his attention to detail—like the way a charging cable is packaged—to demonstrate care for the user. For Ive, every product represents a form of thanks to humanity.
A Career Sparked by Apple!
Jony Ive’s journey began when he encountered the original Macintosh as a student in England. The device was a revelation, a means to express human values through products. This was the catalyst that prompted his move to California in the early 1990s, to be part of the team that created such an impactful device.
Ive also shared unique memories from his time at Cupertino. He reminisced about team rituals, like breakfasts where designers cooked for each other, and days spent working together at their homes. These actions, far from trivial, fostered a culture of care: Do things for each other
. For him, this internal attention inevitably influenced the products they created.
The Pitfalls of Technology…
Since leaving Apple in 2019, Jony Ive has continued to pursue his vision of design with LoveFrom, a multidisciplinary studio that brings together designers, musicians, typographers, and engineers. The projects are diverse: from creating the visual identity for King Charles’s coronation to designing clown noses, as well as software, hardware, architecture, and branding.
Yet, in every project, he sees a mission. He describes his approach to design in an almost mystical way, with a deeply spiritual perspective. The conversation also touched on darker topics, such as the unintended consequences of technologies, including the impacts of social media and the acceleration of AI.
For Jony Ive, good intentions are not enough: Even if you have the best intentions, if you are involved in something that results in negative outcomes, you are responsible
.